Page 74 of The Duke and the Disciple

Aesylt traced her tongue along her bottom lip.

His cheeks flexed to contain himself, but Ancestors, how she prayed he wouldn’t. In some of her wildest fantasies, she imagined his entire fist delivering her across the delicate line between pleasure and pain.

Rahn came down over her again. He seemed reluctant to kiss her, so she kissed him first, showing him it was okay.

She guided his hand between her legs, relishing the abrupt groan that escaped him when his finger traced the outside of her mound. Even with Val, it had not been prudence keeping her chaste. Before the scholar had stormed into her life, waking her soul all the way up after so many dormant years, she’d not known true desire. Had never understood that pleasure started as an ignition within the soul before it became a physical need.

His middle finger traced the length of her once, twice, and dipped down, teasing her. She pressed on his hand, and in his finger slid, causing her breath to catch and hold as she waited for him to push all the way in.

“Is this all right?”

“I’m ready for more,” she cried, squeezing onto his finger.

“Already?”

“I’m not a delicate flower, Scholar.”

“We’ll see about that,” he whispered, withdrawing long enough to add a second finger. But that wouldn’t be enough either; she knew it before he re-entered her, even as the first murmur of pain had her clenching down.

She spread her legs wider and closed her eyes, her breathing riding the gentle rhythm of his two fingers working in, out. She locked her hand atop his wrist and guided him to go faster, and this time he didn’t ask her if it was all right. His teeth latched onto her bottom lip as he pumped, panting in tune with her soft cries.

“More,” she commanded, guiding him out so he could fulfill her demand. He peeled back to catch her eyes, and whatever he saw must have given him the confirmation required. A third finger joined the mix, and this time the pain was utterly exquisite. She squirmed, but never relented on her guidance, both hands on his arm as he impaled her with his hand.

“I’m hurting you,” he said, even as she shook her head to the contrary.

“Not nearly enough,” she cried, yanking on his arm until he speared her hard enough to send stars shooting into her eyes.

“You like pain, Aesylt?” It was not the same man who asked the question. He was different now, a primal, feral creature like herself, ascended beyond the realm of right and wrong and whatever rules governed how their trysts were supposed to go.

“Oh, yes,” she moaned. “Do you, Scholar?”

“Mm, yes, I do,” he croaked. “But even more...”

“You enjoy giving it,” she said, finishing for him. Her eyes flashed open. Her urgent command of his arm never lost pace. “Don’t you?”

Rahn’s mouth parted against hers. His eyes rolled back as he nodded.

“Will you put that in your notes?”

“Not a chance.”

“Just for us then?” Her hips lifted higher as a new pleasure took hold. She felt like she was climbing another mountain, her feet practically folding down the middle.

Rahn’s other hand traveled to his trousers, his cock straining against the fabric.

“I invite you to hurt me. I give you full permission to act out your darkest fantasies with me, whatever they may be. It will never be too much. I will never regret saying yes,” she said, using her other hand to cup his cheek, forcing him to look at her. Her chest fluttered as the force of his hand sent her hurtling toward release. “You’ll find my limitations are not the same as others.”

“You don’t know regret. Not yet.” His mouth turned up in a sinister grin she wanted more of. “You don’t have any idea what you’re asking.”

“If I say I do?”

“With a flick of my hand, I could turn you inside out.” He parted her mouth with his thumb and tugged it wide. “Make you forget your own name.”

“Oh, please.” Aesylt moaned, her head rolling back and her jaw still in his hold. “Do that.”

“Fuck,” Rahn mumbled, and she looked down and saw the dark stain spreading across his pants. The sight of it was too much, and she shuddered around his hand as an utterly different orgasm hurtled through her. She held fast to his arm, pinning herself under him, riding the waves until there was nothing but their heavy, labored breathing.

He fell onto the bed beside her. It was several moments later when he said, “I don’t think I need to ask if you enjoyed that.”

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